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Best bluefish lakes in New York

60 New York waters list bluefish (official records or labelled estimates), 60 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The yellow-eyed wrecking crew — schools blitz bait on the surface, chop through anything shiny, and pull like fish twice their size.

1. Lower Bay — 104 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
2. Great Peconic Bay — 42 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
3. Smithtown Bay — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
4. Napeague Bay — 62 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Shinnecock Bay — 15 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
6. Bellport Bay — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, WeakfishWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
7. South Oyster Bay — 34 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Sloop Channel — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Hempstead Harbor — 38 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
10. Reynolds Channel — 67 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Huntington Bay — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Rockaway Inlet — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Beach Channel — 68 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Manhasset Bay — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Eastchester Bay — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
16. Flanders Bay — 15 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
17. Coecles Harbor — 28 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Three Mile Harbor — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, WeakfishWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. False Hook Channel — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Port Jefferson Harbor — 51 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Lloyd Harbor — 28 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
22. Pierhead Channel — 56 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
23. Bay Ridge Channel — 51 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Lake Montauk — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, Black Sea BassWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Mamaroneck Harbor — 21 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 35 more New York waters holding bluefish.

Find the closest bluefish waters to you →

When to fish bluefish in New York

• Spring 3–20 ft — Racers arrive with the bunker schools — follow birds, cast metal, and check your leader after every fish.
• Summer 5–30 ft — Snappers in the bays, choppers in the rips — wire or heavy mono, poppers when they're up, metal when they're down.
• Fall 3–25 ft — The fall run — mullet and bunker pour out of the bays and the blues go with them; the year's best surface fishing.
• Winter 15–40 ft — Gone south from most coasts; Florida and Gulf fish work the passes on warm winter tides.

Also in New York: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best striped bass lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes · best winter flounder lakes · best black sea bass lakes · best scup (porgy) lakes · best tautog (blackfish) lakes

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